Wincanton Museum and History Societyhttp://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk
Preserving and Researching the Past, Archiving the Present, Involving the CommunityMon, 05 Mar 2018 16:31:48 +0000en-GBhourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.323rd March. A Momentous Marriage. Derek Hudsonhttp://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/23rd-march-a-momentous-marriage-derek-hudson/
http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/23rd-march-a-momentous-marriage-derek-hudson/#respondMon, 05 Mar 2018 16:31:48 +0000http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/?p=1523Continue reading →]]>In 1948 a momentous marriage took place between a black African chief and a white Englishwoman. This scandalised so many that it nearly caused the downfall of the Atlee Government, the break up of the Commonwealth and the British production of atomic bombs.This all relates to Botswana where Dr Derek Hudson spent 25 years of his career as a banker and civil servant. It should be a fascinating talk.]]>http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/23rd-march-a-momentous-marriage-derek-hudson/feed/0Nigel Fox and John Baxter speak to Town Council 12th Feb.http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/nigel-fox-and-john-baxter-speak-to-town-council-12th-feb/
http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/nigel-fox-and-john-baxter-speak-to-town-council-12th-feb/#respondWed, 14 Feb 2018 18:58:29 +0000http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/?p=1508Continue reading →]]>Nigel introduced John to the Town Council who were all given a leaflet summarising Bioletti’s life and they both spoke of how publicising Bioletti and John’s book Surviving Napoleon could make a positive effect on Wincanton the wider his remarkable story is known. The possibility of getting a Blue Plaque for his home in the High Street was raised and the response of the council who have been given a copy of the book to circulate amongst them, seemed very positive and the Town Clerk, Ms Sam Atherton also spoke of the stream of Bioletti descendants who have already been visiting Wincanton to see where he lived and to get a copy of the book. Both John and Nigel felt the meeting had gone very well.

JJB

]]>http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/nigel-fox-and-john-baxter-speak-to-town-council-12th-feb/feed/0Wincanton Library Talk on Bioletti 28th Feb 4 pmhttp://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/wincanton-library-talk-on-bioletti-28th-feb-4-pm/
http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/wincanton-library-talk-on-bioletti-28th-feb-4-pm/#respondWed, 14 Feb 2018 18:43:51 +0000http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/?p=1505Continue reading →]]>At the invitation of Shirley our Librarian John Baxter gave his talk and Power Point presentation on Alberto Bioletti to an appreciative audience including three members of the Town Council at 4.p.m. Tea, coffee and delicious cakes were served just in time before we experienced the next two days of the coldest and deepest snowfall we have had for many years. Shirley reported that the library holds two copies of Surviving Napoleon and these are both presently being borrowed all the time, but can be reserved. Copies continue to be on sale at Papertrees, out town bookshop
See poster Library]]>http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/wincanton-library-talk-on-bioletti-28th-feb-4-pm/feed/023rd Feb. Charles de Salis on the French Revolutionhttp://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/23rd-feb-charles-de-salis-on-the-french-revolution/
http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/23rd-feb-charles-de-salis-on-the-french-revolution/#respondWed, 14 Feb 2018 18:30:01 +0000http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/?p=1498Continue reading →]]>Count Chalrles de Salis has for many years had a special interest in researching the life and times of Napoleon so it will be fascinating to hear from him about what happened in 1789 and how that led to the rise of Napoleon. This should be a particularly interesting talk.Click below for poster

]]>http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/23rd-feb-charles-de-salis-on-the-french-revolution/feed/0Friday 26th Jan. Talk and AGM 7 and 7.30 Chris Forester on Rural Povertyhttp://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/friday-26th-jan-talk-and-agm-7-and-7-30-chris-forester-on-rural-poverty/
http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/friday-26th-jan-talk-and-agm-7-and-7-30-chris-forester-on-rural-poverty/#respondMon, 22 Jan 2018 11:12:25 +0000http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/?p=1472Continue reading →]]>Our AGM took place promptly at 7.pm and our Chairman Nigel Fox presented a report for the year which included the news that he and others have been investigating possibilities for the museum to expand in conjunction with the library, but that such moves need wait until Somerset County Council has decided on the future of the libraries in Somerset.

Our Treasurer Peter Jamieson, reported that our funds are in good order and accumulating steadily so when needed we could face some capital expenditure. The current committee, all being prepared to stand again, were then elected as a group. Nigel however pointed out that a members secretary is needed and there is room for more people on the committee. If you are interested in Joining the committee because of an interest in our local history, you would be made most welcome and are asked to contact Nigel Fox.

There was then a break for coffee and cake and Chris started speaking at 7.30 p.m.

His talk well illustrated with slides and excellently presented, He began by describing the land and class based society that was the norm in the nineteenth century which in the countryside provided little opportunity for social mobility.

Based on the extensive research Chris had carried out on Wincanton Workhouse and the census records of 1881 he explained how from the time of Thomas Cromwell poor relief came to be financed out of the parish rates which all property owners paid and this provided relief for the poor either in the form of cash handouts to those with homes or for the poorest placing them in a workhouse. Wincanton’s workhouse, quite a grand and substantial building, now demolished, served a much wider area than Wincanton and included all the surrounding villages including Bruton and Castle Carey and at time had more then two hundred inmates. Separated by sex and age, dressed in a drab uniform, husbands, wives and their children were all kept apart and only allowed to speak to each other twice a week. The work was hard and repetitive and children were placed with employers who paid the workhouse for having them. Based on the principle that those being supported should not be better off than the poorest labourer in full time employment this ensured that their lives were extremely limited and restricted. It was a last resort for the orphan, the destitute, the unmarried mother, the mentally ill, demented or chronically depressed.

Chris described how depending on such different factors as foreign wars and bad harvests the wealth of the area passed through cycles and when things were down it was the poorest with the most problem getting employment on the land or in service who ended up as paupers.

Paul emphasised that though very hard by our standards, by theirs it was seen as more or less fair and that the guardians and top supervisors were quite ready to dismiss workhouse staff or managers who inmates complained about. Harsh but fair? He hoped so if not always, for there were obviously opportunities for different types of abuse to be inflicted on the hapless inmates.

It was a fascinating insight into our past, was enthusiastically received and provoked many questions as we all left glad we were not paupers in 1881.

John Baxter

]]>http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/friday-26th-jan-talk-and-agm-7-and-7-30-chris-forester-on-rural-poverty/feed/0Bioletti. John’s Book now out at Papertrees!http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/bioletti-johns-book-now-out-at-papertrees/
http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/bioletti-johns-book-now-out-at-papertrees/#respondWed, 22 Nov 2017 17:36:18 +0000http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/?p=1429John’s book on Alberto Bioletti is now out and can be bought at Papertrees or on Amazon. Details: Surviving Napoleon by John J Baxter £9.99.

Read article about it from Western Daily News

]]>http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/bioletti-johns-book-now-out-at-papertrees/feed/0Old Wincanton. A talk by John Sansom. Friday 27th Oct.http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/old-wincanton-a-talk-by-john-sansom-friday-27th-oct/
http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/old-wincanton-a-talk-by-john-sansom-friday-27th-oct/#respondSat, 21 Oct 2017 10:15:47 +0000http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/?p=1382Continue reading →]]>On Friday 27th October, 2017 the Wincanton and District Museum and History Society were given a very interesting talk by John Sansom, the Sweep. In addition there were many slides of old Wincanton, followed by a Carnival film.

John moved to various addresses in his early years, finally, after he was married, to Penn View, Wincanton, which he describes as “a lovely place at the time”, and where he was happy.

The Prince of Wales public house was in Bayford Hill, opposite the entrance to Penn View, and at the time, everybody knew everybody else. Now the public house has gone, and a bungalow stands in its place. Over the years many buildings have disappeared or been altered – a row of houses were knocked down to make the entrance to the Memorial Hall. The entrance to Carrington Way brought more changes, including Cash’s Park. Cobbles went down the middle of Mill Street and so on. However, when looking at the slides of old Wincanton, it is remarkable how many shop and house-fronts remain the same, and the High Street looks (building-wise) almost unchanged.

John mentioned the lovely lardy cakes and hot cross buns he used to eat from Mrs Dykes baker shop, which was the end cottage in the High Street.

One of John’s stories brought us right up to the present. The NatWest Bank started life as the Wincanton Bank the 1700s. As the Westminster Bank it was hit by a bomb during WW11. The bomb dropped directly onto the Bank, killing one person, and the bank safe landed in Church Street. Now, this very month, the NatWest has closed, and, after all the years, the building will no longer be a Bank.

He spoke of the organization called the Bonfire Boys who would carry sticks covered in hessian, dipped in paraffin and with flames 10 feet high would walk down the High Street to the Market Place and light a bonfire in front of the Post Office. In the early days of the Wincanton Carnival, started before the War, they would join the Guy Fawkes circuit at Bridgewater. During Wartime it was abandoned, and when re-started they did not join the Guy Fawkes Circuit. This talk was then followed by a film John had brought of one Carnival during the 1970s. This was shown with a serving of coffee and cakes so the evening ended as a very sociable occasion.

Many thanks are due to John for his entertaining talk, to one of our largest audiences in recent months, and for the time spent on slides and the film. Janet Fray

]]>http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/old-wincanton-a-talk-by-john-sansom-friday-27th-oct/feed/0The Glorious Revolution of 1688http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/the-glorious-revolution-of-1688/
http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/the-glorious-revolution-of-1688/#respondWed, 11 Oct 2017 17:32:47 +0000http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/?p=1376Continue reading →]]>Passing through on his way to London in 1688 William of Orange, future joint sovereign with his wife Mary, spent the night with the Churchey family at their manor house home “The Dogs” in South Street. This was a few days after a bloody skirmish at the end of the High Street between quite a large force of cavalry and soldiers sent from Salisbury to fight for the king James the second and a small scouting party representing William. In the skirmish that followed 15 men died in what was otherwise an almost entirely peaceful invasion by William’s army. Never before, or since would Wincanton see English, Scottish, Dutch, German and Swiss troops march through the town in what became known as the Glorious Revolution.

How this came about and what the consequences were and what sort of man was William were some of the questions I sought to shed light on in my talk on Friday 29th September. I hope people found it interesting.

]]>http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/the-glorious-revolution-of-1688/feed/026th May Gill D’Arcy. Bringing My Life Up-to-datehttp://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/26th-may-gill-darcy-bringing-my-life-up-to-date/
http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/26th-may-gill-darcy-bringing-my-life-up-to-date/#respondTue, 18 Jul 2017 10:00:38 +0000http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/?p=1367Continue reading →]]>On Friday 26th May 2017, to an audience of around 25 people, Gill D’Arcy gave her third, and final talk, on her life in Wincanton. Entitled Bringing my Life up-to-date, she enthralled us all with her own personal story of Wincanton  stating: “As much as I can remember.” It was well remembered.

Gill’s life started at 24 Mill Street, and she gave a small resume on this part of her life, for those people who had missed her previous talks.

She divided her talk in five parts: Employment, Committees, Changes to the Town, Mayoress  twice, and Leisure.

Employment: Gill started her employment at Cow and Gate until, at aged 17 years, she was old enough to work at Plesseys, where she stayed until 1971.

After that Gill had various part-time employment, which often meant that as Richard came in from work, she went out. After this it was back to full-time employment with Wincanton Transport until it closed in 2005. Gill was, in fact, the last person to leave the building. This employment had been happy and successful  event though it involved dealing with an IRA letter bomb. Not many people did that, thankfully. Another two part-time jobs, at Bruton School for Girls and Cullingford Carpets, and in 2013 Gill joined the Parish Church Office, where she is still to be found.

Committees: Carnival

Primary School

Twinning Association

Gardening Association

Church Council  to mention a few

Gill was brief about this period of her life, but it appeared, to those of us listening, that her involvement in the town committees, was far from brief.

Changes to the Town: Wincanton Sports Ground  1993

Saunters Close  1994/5

The Balsam Centre 1999

Museum Closed 2000

Grant’s Close 2000/1

Wincanton Sports Centre 2001

Maddocks Pavillion 2002

‘ New Rectory 2007

New Health ‘2014

New Primary School Extension  being built now.

All these alterations to the town, plus other changes: The Fire Station has become Fire Station Mews, the two last Banks will close this year, roads have been named from Terry Prachetts books, and a new Concrete Plant (Hopkins) is being built on the outskirts of the town. Add to this the disappearance of the Magistrates Court, various Public Houses and shops, a Solicitors, and Wincanton Transport and changes are always in the air in Wincanton.

Mayoress: in 1996 to 1998 Richard was Mayor of Wincanton, and this involved attending many events in an already busy life.

This was repeated in 2010  2011, and again, more events to attend  but all enjoyed.

In her spare-time (did she have any?) Gill is a poet, and published a book of poems entitled Life’s Reflections in Verse, in 2005. This was to raise money for the Church Roof Appeal. Gill finds poetry an absorbing hobby and a way of expressing her thoughts and feelings. 20 poems have been written, and published in various books, and Gill has also won prestigious prizes for her work.

She finished by saying what Wincanton meant to her. It was a friendly town, where she had been born and also raised her own children. This gave her a feeling of belonging, and where her memories are.

Many thanks were due, and given to Gill, for her memories and detail of Wincanton days.

]]>http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/26th-may-gill-darcy-bringing-my-life-up-to-date/feed/0Wincanton Soldiers at Passchendaele. 30th June 17http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/wincanton-soldiers-at-passchendaele-30th-june-17/
http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/wincanton-soldiers-at-passchendaele-30th-june-17/#respondTue, 18 Jul 2017 09:45:52 +0000http://www.wincantonmuseum.org.uk/?p=1365Continue reading →]]>On 30th June 2017 Tony Goddard gave a very interesting talk to the Wincanton Museum and History Society in the Memorial Hall, entitled Wincanton Soldiers at Passchendaele.

Mr Goddard based his talk around two local families, still connected with Wincanton. The Hamblin family of Penn View, and the Deane Family. (The Deanes being related to Mr. Sampson, another local person). Although he did mention that other Wincanton people were also involved in WW1, and also died as a result of the War.

In relation to Passchendaele, Mr. Goddard said that the Germans took the high ground (and thus had a distinct advantage over the British etc., on the low ground) and this resulted 120,000 plus lost lives in the battle for Arras. Putting perspective on the battle and numbers involved.

William Deane volunteered in 1915 at the age of 17 years – giving his age as 19. It often happened that volunteers gave an incorrect age, and many went to war at a young age. He joined Kitchener’s untrained Army – most had never fired a rifle, and at Roeux in a wooded area, 130 Somerset men died in one event, including William Deane. This was May 1917, and William Deane was not quite 19 years old.

Able Seaman Harry Hamblin, RNVR, was born in 1897. and killed in action at the age of 20. With a surplus of Reserves at that time, Harry was drafted to the British Expeditionary Forces in November 1916, and on to the front line. He died there on 25 August 1917,

Mr Goddard went on to discribe the 80lbs of weight each British person had to carry, the dreadful mud that year, and that 65,000 people have no known grave. He also had a very interesting display of items from that time, including a shovel, shrapnel, bullet heads, and a 1914 Princess Mary Box give to all participants that Christmas.

A lively Q and A session followed, and are grateful thanks were given to Mr. Goddard for his comprehensive talk.